Whether you are getting ready to attend your first travel therapist job or you have attended several assignments, it’s perfectly normal to feel a nervous about the first day of your new job. It’s a new facility with new co-workers, new routines, and new process to learn. To prepare you for your first day we have created 10 tips for your first day as a travel therapist. These tips will help you during your first day as a travel therapist.
10 Tips For Your First Day As A Travel Therapist
- Take multiple test drives. There is nothing better for confidence then being prepared. To help you be prepared to a dry run of your new travel nurse job or travel therapy job. Get up and out the door at the time you will during your first day. Take the drive you will take so you know exactly where to go, where to park and how traffic affects your commute. If possible, find the location within the facility where you will sign in and save the number of the facility in your phone just in case. Don’t just do this once. Instead, take your test drive a few days. If you take a test drive once you might have experienced an unusual experience.
- Prepare the day before. There is nothing worse than feeling rushed on your first day. That is why we recommend taking proper steps the day before to prepare for your new travel nurse job or travel therapy job. Lay out your clothing, pack food, and gather any necessary documents. Use this time to take care of any last-minute things. You don’t want to want to realize that your clothes are wrinkled or that you need to make copies of important documents.
- Arrive early on your first day. This is why you took those test drives. You should have an idea of how long it takes you to get from your home to the facility. It’s also our recommendation to leave a few minutes early just in case. Being on time or even a little early is very impressive on the first day–and being late is not.
- Have the right attitude. This might sound like a no brainer but believe it or not every therapist does not come in with a positive attitude on his or her first day. Your attitude is one of the few things you can control. Come in with a smile, be willing to learn, and be ready to help out where needed.
- Introduce yourself to the entire team, not just those you work with daily. As you interact with new co-workers, take the time to introduce yourself and make an effort to remember their names. It can be difficult to remember names of a bunch of new people. Follow these 11 memory hacks to remember names of everyone you meet.
- Ask the right questions and learn. There will be new things to learn on your first day. Take notes and learn quickly the standards of your new facility. If you have taken multiple travel therapist jobs understand that what you learned at one travel therapy job might be different than this new facility. Embrace the rules of the facility and follow them. If you have questions, don’t be afraid to ask them, just be sure to learn the ropes.
- Be a team player. Depending on the place you are working, there might be times where you need to roll up your sleeves and do other things or pick up extra hours. If that happens, be willing to do so. It will go a long way in making your assignment run smooth.
- Don’t gossip or talk behind people’s backs. The potential to gossip or talk behind one’s back will present itself at every location. But don’t engage. Keep in mind that you are at the location for a limited time. Also, if the place you are working at is a place you would like to keep working at, you will need to have a good rapport with other employees.
- Keep your confidence when times get tough. No matter what your nerves are telling you, keep telling yourself that you are a good therapist. If this is your first travel therapist job, have the confidence in what you do. If you have been a travel therapist for multiple assignments, then you have done this before and should be a walk in the park in your ability as a therapist.
- Remember it’s just one day. If you first day went well that’s great. If you had some hiccups on your first day come back the second day with a can-do attitude. No matter how your first day went come back the second day with another smile on your face.
It is our hope that after reading this you feel confident and ready to take on your new travel therapist job. Just remember that you are a skilled travel therapist. Also, if you take a travel therapist job with Host Healthcare you can feel confident walking in on day 1 knowing that your recruiter and the Host Healthcare travel therapist team has your back.
Host Healthcare Travel Therapist
Host Healthcare offers an extensive list of travel therapist jobs. Call one of our friendly recruiters at (800) 585-1299. We are here to help you to get started.
